July 26, 2013  || Vol. 5, Issue 29
SWRnet provides a weekly update about new research funding opportunities, calls for papers and proposals, conferences and trainings, new data and research, and news for the social work research community. 

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Funding OpportunitiesFunding   
NIMHD Social, Behavioral, Health Services, and Policy Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01)
Deadline: November 19, 2013
(National Institutes of Health)
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit innovative social, behavioral, health services, and policy research that can directly and demonstrably contribute to the elimination of health disparities. Projects may involve primary data collection or secondary analysis of existing datasets. Projects that examine understudied health conditions; examine the effectiveness of interventions, services, or policies for multiple health disparity populations; and/or directly measure the impact of project activities on levels of health disparities are particularly encouraged. Click here for more information. 

 

Diabetes Care in Older Adults
Deadline: September 16, 2013
(From the Philanthropy News Digest)
The American Diabetes Association, with support from Eli Lilly and Company, is inviting applications for original and innovative translational and clinical research proposals focused on improving the evidence base and understanding of the goals, barriers, and effects of treatments and interventions (beneficial and adverse) in older adults with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The aim of the initiative is to further identify the safest and most effective means of diabetes treatment for this population. Click here for more information. 

 

Mid-life Reversibility of Early-established Biobehavioral Risk Factors (R01)
Deadline: February 3, 2014
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is to solicit two-year Research Project Grant (R01) applications that propose to explore the potential for midlife plasticity of biobehavioral or psychological systems affected by early life disadvantage. In order to speed the development of novel intervention strategies, applicants are encouraged either to use existing human cohort data to identify circumstances that mitigate or exacerbate the effects of early adversity or to use human and/or animal models to test the feasibility of developing interventions aimed specifically at increasing malleability in adulthood of risk persistence mechanisms. Click here for more information. 

 

Economics
(National Science Foundation)
Deadline: August 18, 2013; January 18, 2014
The Economics program supports research designed to improve the understanding of the processes and institutions of the U.S. economy and of the world system of which it is a part. This program also strengthens both empirical and theoretical economic analysis as well as the methods for rigorous research on economic behavior. It supports research in almost every area of economics, including econometrics, economic history, environmental economics, finance, industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and public finance. Click here for more information. 
 
High Priority Behavioral and Social Research Networks (R24)
Deadline: October 22, 2013
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), working in part with funds contributed by the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, is to provide infrastructure support for advancing development of specific emerging and high priority interdisciplinary areas of behavioral and social research of relevance to aging. The infrastructure support will facilitate research networks through meetings, conferences, small scale pilots, training, and dissemination to encourage growth and development of specified priority areas and of resources for the field at large. Projects are solicited that will develop, strengthen, and evaluate transdisciplinary approaches and methods for basic behavioral and/or social research. Click here for more information. 

 

Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program
Deadline: October 1, 2013
(From the Philanthropy News Digest)
The National Endowment for Democracy's Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program is designed to enable activists, practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change. The program offers five-month fellowships to practitioners so that they can focus on strategies and best practices for developing democracy in their country of interest, and to scholars to conduct original research for publication. Fellows maintain full-time residence at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED's research arm in Washington, D.C. The program is intended primarily to support individuals from developing and aspiring democracies. A working knowledge of English is required. Applicants interested in the scholarly track are expected to possess a doctorate (a Ph.D. or academic equivalent) at the time of application, have a proven record of publication in their field, and have developed a detailed research outline for their fellowship project. Click here for more information. 
CallsCalls 

Call for Reviewers
Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research
The Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research (JSSWR) is the official publication of the Society for Social Work and Research, a U.S.-based professional organization dedicated to the promotion of human welfare through research and research applications. JSSWR is seeking individuals with diverse areas of expertise to serve as peer reviewers. For information on JSSWR, please see About at www.jsswr.org
A reviewer's responsibilities include reviewing manuscripts for clarity, accuracy, and research rigor; identifying the strengths and weaknesses of manuscripts; providing authors with specific, detailed comments on how to improve their manuscripts; and, ultimately, providing the editor-in-chief with recommendations for accepting or rejecting manuscripts for publication. Comments from reviewers to authors are expected to be detailed and contain scholarly feedback about the strengths, weaknesses, relevance, and importance of the research to the field. A particular strength of JSSWR has been its reviewers and the willingness of reviewers to provide constructive reviews and suggestions intended to enhance manuscripts and strengthen social work research.
Reviewers may be requested to review manuscripts up to six times a year. To ensure JSSWR's continuing tradition of rapid, high-quality reviews, applicants must meet the following requirements:
Professional Requirements
-Possess a strong command of the English language, including verbal and written fluency;
-Provide a current electronic resume or curriculum vitae (with list of publications);
Reviewer Requirements
-Agree to return manuscripts in a timely manner (typically 3 weeks);
-Agree not to distribute submissions or to disclose information within manuscripts;
-Agree to be released as a reviewer after three refusals to review or late reviews;
-Agree to be rated as a reviewer; ratings influence future selection to review.
If interested in serving as a reviewer, please contact Editor Mark Fraser at mfraser@email.unc.edu and include the following:
-Current resume or curriculum vitae;
-Areas of expertise (including substantive and methodological areas of interest);
-Brief summary outlining previous peer review/editing experience.
Please contact the JSSWR editorial office at mfraser@email.unc.edu with any questions. 
Conferences & Trainingsconf
MEPS Data Users' Workshop
September 23-24, 2013
Rockville, MD
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will be conducting a two-day hands-on MEPS Data Users' Workshop in Rockville, MD, on September 23-24, 2013. Day 1 of this workshop will consist of lectures designed to provide a general overview of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) including information about survey design, file content, and the construction of analytic files. Particular emphasis will be on health care utilization, expenditures, and medical conditions. Day 2 of the workshop is intended to give hands-on experience to participants. A laptop computer will be provided to each participant. The participants will apply the knowledge gained from the previous day's lectures and work with programmers and analysts on MEPS data. They will learn how to identify and pull together variables to build a data file to answer their research questions. SAS example exercises will be demonstrated. There will be time allotted for open discussion and for answering specific research questions from participants. To fully benefit from the second day, participants should have some prior knowledge of MEPS. A basic knowledge of SAS is desirable, but not essential. The workshop is offered free of cost. A full program description, registration form, and logistical information will be available by the end of July on the Workshops & Events page of the MEPS Web site.

The Affordable Care Act & Low Income Populations: Lessons from and Challenges for Research
November 1, 2013
Davis, CA
Save the Date for the Center for Poverty Research's conference on the Affordable Care Act and the poor. The conference will feature research highlighting what we already know about likely effects of the ACA on the poor and a panel discussion of the most critical new directions for research as the ACA is rolled out. The conference will take place in the MU II on the UC Davis campus on Friday, November 1, 2013. Click here for more information.
Research Publications & Data Resourcesdata 

ICPSR Data Additions

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community. Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive:
-33421 Design, Validation, and Dissemination of Measures of Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics
-34580 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, 2011
-34581 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, Summarized Yearly, 2011
-34583 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Hate Crime Data, 2011 [Record-Type Files]
-34755 Census of Population and Housing, 2010 [United States]: Summary File 2 With National Update
-34794 U.S. National Security Commissions, 1981-2009
Click here for the full list of data resources.
 
Population Council 2012 Annual Report
For more than 60 years, Population Council research has led the way to more effective policies, programs, and technologies. This year's annual report highlights our work to create better policies and programs for the poorest girls in the poorest communities. Fifteen years ago, the Council was among the first to argue that adolescent girls are central to the world's social, health, and economic development. Today, we are building the world's largest body of research evaluating programs to improve girls' lives, from reducing child marriage and gender-based violence to increasing literacy and social support. Our report includes essays from Council president Peter Donaldson and vice president Ann Blanc, and success stories from our work in 2012. You can find it online here.
 
NIH Releases Annual Report on Well-Being of Nation's Children and Youth
(From the COSSA Washington Update)
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released its annual report on the state of children's well-being. The report utilizes studies conducted by various federal agencies to address many indicators of overall status including, but not limited to, health care, economic circumstances, education, and behavior. This year's edition includes updated and improved data on various subjects, including lead exposure, education, and family reading behaviors. For the complete report, as well as highlights and other resources, click here. 
 
New NCHS Data on Racial Disparities in Life Expectancy
(From the COSSA Washington Update)
A new National Center on Health Statistics (NCHS) data brief focusing on racial disparities in life expectancy between the black and white populations finds that such differences have narrowed over the past 30 years, but still exist. In 2010, life expectancy for the black population was 3.8 years lower than the white population (down from 7.8 in 1970). The difference was attributable to higher rates of death from heart disease, cancer, homicide, diabetes and perinatal conditions in African Americans. The data was drawn from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Click here for more information. 
 
Risks Facing Young Children in Our Military Families
(From ChildTrends)
More than two million children in the U.S. have had a parent deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq. When a parent goes to war - and often for years afterward - families are deeply affected. Young children are especially vulnerable, because they're physically and emotionally dependent on adults, and because their brain development can be disrupted by high levels of stress. When young children experience high levels of stress and trauma, the effects can continue well after their parents' military service ends, when their families may have less access to needed supports. In Home Front Alert: The Risks Facing Young Children in Military Families, Child Trends examined the special circumstances characterizing the lives of children under age six in military families. Click here to read more. 
News & Noticesnews  
The CTSA Program at NIH: Opportunities for Advancing Clinical and Translational Research
The past half century of biomedical and health research has led to significant improvements in individual and public health. However, it often takes many years before the benefits of research reach the targeted beneficiaries due to the challenges of translating scientific findings into practice. Created in 2006, and currently funded by the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program aims to facilitate and accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into new and better preventive and treatment solutions to improve health. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) was asked by NIH to review the mission and strategic goals of the CTSA Program. The IOM committee finds that the CTSA program is contributing significantly to advancing clinical and translational research, and recommends a number of revisions that could make the program more efficient and effective and could ensure future successes. If enacted, these changes would help establish the CTSA Program as the national leader for advancing innovative and transformative clinical and translational research. Click here for more information. 
About SWRnet
Formerly known as the IASWR Listserv, SWRnet (Social Work Research Network) was launched in October 2009 to continue serving the social work research community by providing regular updates on funding opportunities, calls for papers, conference deadlines and newly published research.

 

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Requests to post announcements related to social work research can be submitted to SWRnet@bu.edu. Please contact us with questions or comments.

 

Contact:

Doctoral Candidate, Interdisciplinary Sociology & Social Welfare Policy
Associate Professor

Boston University School of Social Work